The Villain's Sister - Chapter 17

“What?”

“If it’s neither, then I’ll just tell him.”

It’s laughable that the ridiculous rumor of me being Anti-Venom’s mistress is spreading as if it were true, but I don’t have the power to refute it.

So I decided to use it.

“That you and I are lovers. That while he’s been away, we’ve been rolling around endlessly at a nearby hotel. Then he’ll take care of it himself before Raphael even steps in.”

Raphael has one sister.

He cherishes her dearly, and since she got involved with Anti-Venom, he’s become even more protective.

No one involved in the underground wouldn’t know that.

“So what’ll it be?”

Seeing the faint twitch of his expression, I knew I had won.

***

That bastard’s lost it today.

From Black Pistols’ perspective, who had clashed with Death Adder for years, Raphael wasn’t exactly losing his mind, but he wasn’t in his right one either.

Shit. Black Pistols ducked behind the wall, confirmed he had no spare magazines, and cursed under his breath.

He’d come in such a rush mid-duty that he hadn’t even brought proper weapons.

Might have to go hand-to-hand for the first time in a while.

Throw that bastard into central prison, dismantle Death Adder…

I’ve got to visit Mom this weekend—if he messes up my face, I’ll beat him to a pulp.

Bang! Bang!

Raphael fired again in his direction.

Black Pistols rolled swiftly to the other side.

Bang!

The shot grazed his side.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Just as Raphael had been focused on Black Pistols, he suddenly turned and spotted Julio Guerra crawling along the floor, trying to escape.

Bang!

Aaaagh! Aaargh!

Julio Guerra’s hand flew off into the air.

A boot slammed down on Julio’s head.

His forehead split open on floor debris, and shards of glass pierced his eyelids.

As Julio gasped in pain, Raphael asked mockingly, “You fool. Did you think you’d get out of here alive?”

“Hhhhgh… aaargh! You bastard, you think I’ll let this go? Big Bear will—urk!”

Raphael kicked him in the pit of the stomach.

He trembled without being able to breathe.

With a cold expression, Raphael fired again.

Bang!

The merciless gunshot pierced Julio’s heart.

Thick red blood spread across the floor.

Haah.

Just as Raphael exhaled to calm himself, Black Pistols charged him from behind.

A muscular arm locked around Raphael’s neck.

With the other hand, he tried to take Raphael’s gun.

Raphael twisted his arm to shoot Black Pistols.

“You used me for that O’Connell gambling incident, didn’t you? Hey, you trying to die? You think I’m your damn errand boy?”

Bang!

The bullet grazed Black Pistols’ helmet.

Bang! Bang!

This time, Black Pistols grabbed his wrist and forced the muzzle upward.

Raphael leaned into his legs and slammed into Black Pistols’ side.

Ugh!

A faint groan slipped from under the helmet.

Bang!

This shot grazed Black Pistols’ thigh.

Raphael kept pulling the trigger.

One bullet brushed his own face, another hit Julio’s corpse.

Click. Click.

The bullets ran out.

“Tch.”

He was reaching his limit.

Raphael deliberately threw his body off balance to create an opening.

As the strength in the arm holding him faltered, Raphael flipped Black Pistols over his shoulder.

Taking that moment, he struck the helmet with the empty gun, but it didn’t break.

Raphael drew a knife from inside his coat and stabbed at Black Pistols.

Black Pistols twisted his large body quickly to dodge and swung a punch.

Thwack!

The punch split Raphael’s lip.

“I’ve always wondered, Black Pistols, just where the hell did you come from?”

“Jealous of my genius, are you?”

“Tch!”

Raphael spat blood onto the floor and lowered his stance.

Black Pistols, having risen in the meantime, also drew a knife and got into position.

He took a deep breath under his helmet.

Raphael was no different.

He burned with rage but responded coldly.

Even in this moment, he remained composed, unshaken by the blood and corpses strewn about.

If it were just vengeance, he wouldn’t have targeted Two Star’s second-in-command.

He would’ve just killed the gang members involved and ended it as a warning.

All of this was for safety.

To crush them thoroughly and make sure no one would ever lay a hand on Deva again.

“You really love your sister, huh? Do it twice and you’ll probably plant a bomb or something.”

“I don’t expect someone like you to understand.”

“Understand? What’s the point of understanding a damn criminal? My job is throwing bastards like you into prison.”

Just as the two lunged at each other, the sound of helicopters filled the air.

The counterterrorism unit had arrived.

Raphael curled his lip. He loosened his stance and sheathed his knife.

“Damn it.”

Black Pistols, cursing as well, irritably wiped his face.

Drops of blood smeared across the plastic of his helmet’s visor as his hand moved.

Nothing good came from clashing with the counterterrorism unit.

While Mist Island police were friendly to heroes, the central government arrested both villains and heroes alike.

Even vigilantes were considered potential terrorists in this country if they operated without authorization.

In other words, both Raphael and Black Pistols needed to flee immediately.

If Raphael got caught and tangled with the unit, his identity would be exposed, and the news would spread it everywhere, which meant his mother would inevitably find out.

That would ruin everything.

Especially since his mother wasn’t in any condition to withstand such a shock—she needed absolute rest.

Liam Fabian… let’s just give up today. Dammit.

Caught the damn fish, and now it slips away. Of all times, why now?

Black Pistols glanced out the window to check the escape route.

Breaking through the window of the next building and running would probably work.

Just before he jumped out, Raphael, carrying the unconscious Liam, asked, “I owed you for the illegal gambling case. But didn’t you go into it knowing the risks?”

“Shut up. Who told a damn creep like you to talk?”

“The gate case is expanding. Soon, the central government will classify you as high-risk like Red Shadow. Be careful.”

“Shit. Can’t believe I’m getting warnings from a criminal. Did Two Star go after your sister because you gave me the gambling gate evidence? Or was there another reason?”

“…Whatever the reason, laying hands on my sister meant this was bound to happen.”

Finding a reason came second.

The priority was proving something.

Showing Death Adder’s infamy, how cruel he could be, and how far he was willing to go.

He’d killed his own father for his sister—he could be more brutal than anyone else in this world.

“It looks like Two Star acted because of a rumor.”

“Rumor?”

“That your sister is your mistress. I mean, Anti-Venom’s mistress. That’s probably why they targeted her. By the way, your underling already knew.”

“Hah. What a joke.”

“Isn’t he clinging to her more because she’s Anti-Venom’s mistress?”

A filthy suspicion born of someone’s imagination spread by word of mouth, and soon became accepted as truth.

Raphael, the subject of the rumor, let out a dry laugh.

“Beating someone with their weakness is Big Bear’s favorite method—typical of that bastard.”

There’s a big difference between killing the second-in-command’s sister and killing someone deeply loved by both the leader and second-in-command.

It could shake an organization or be used as leverage at a negotiation table.

“Hey bastard. Just in case, let me be clear—joining forces with you during the ‘Sunshine’ case was the first and last time.”

Raphael flipped Black Pistols the finger and left with Liam slung over his back.

Black Pistols also confirmed the unit’s approach and quickly leapt over the building.

Tristan, who had changed clothes in a nearby alley, quietly returned to position.

“Where’ve you been?”

“Just checked for any injured. No civilians near the restaurant, but plenty of bodies that looked like Two Star gang members.”

“You maniac. Didn’t you hear the order to hold position and control the road?”

“They’re out there firing machine guns like they’re something special, and we’re supposed to just sit and wait? What kind of cop says that shit?”

Tristan, barking back sharply, finally watched the counterterrorism unit begin their entry, running a hand through his hair.

Goddamn city. Not a single quiet day.